Being a patient

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

I found this article, Bad Patient an interesting reminder how important it is to be your own best advocate with regard to health care.



We have a dear friend who is battling the worst kind of Lymphoma, and his wife had to establish very early on who was going to win in the battle of her husband's best interests.

The tried to place him, in a weakened immunosuppression state, in a hospital room with a man with pneumonia, because "that was the only room available." My dear friend ran from floor to floor to find a bed available, with no ill contagious people, for her husband. She found it, and needless to say, her DH was not placed in the bed near the sick man.

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

When I was a new nurse, you never put a "clean" patient with a "dirty" one, meaning you never put a sick one in with a surgical or immunosuppressed one. I have seen this practice not enforced since I left hospital nursing, and that can be very dangerous. It is good that your friend had the courage to advocate for her husband.

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

Yes, Jackio, isn't it shocking that a hospital staff member told my friend, "that is all we had."

Her DH was there to begin his third round of a 6 day 24 hour chemo regimen. They (the hospital) told my friend that they were "willing to take the risk"....which infuriated, disgusted and motivated my friend to state in no uncertain terms that "you may be, but we are not"....and off and running she went from floor to floor and ward to ward.

Since then he has had so many rounds of chemo, but the hospital have never given him anything but the proper clean room.

Now, he is home for a short spell (in order to build his stamina a bit) and then he has to go back and prepare for a final round of blasting chemo to scour out and prepare him for stem cell harvest and transplant.

His attitude is fantastic and because of it he has earned a high regard from the nursing staff now.

[happymum Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close happymum]

Thanks for this important reminder!

[suskey Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close suskey]

I am a patient advocate at a Medical Center in NJ. My job is to go to bat for any patient who is having trouble.I really try to put myself in their shoes and seek a solution for whatever the problem may be.

If you find yourself or family member hospitalized,in the ER having difficulties or problems relating to a hospital stay after you return home..ask for the patient advocate. They will act on your behalf. We are not volunteers, but employees of the hospital ,and the job requires training in all aspects of conflict resolution.

Susan

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

I don't believe I'd ever set foot in that hospital again. There are several issues that would lead me to believe their standard of care falls short.

First, as mentioned you NEVER put an immunosurpressed patient in with a contagious patient. That's just begging for trouble for the patient as well as the hospital.

Second, what hospital would allow a stranger to go looking for a bed and checking if the other patient's condition (is that patient contagious). That sounds like a direct violation of patient confidentiality.

If all of this is true, and I wouldn't doubt that it is, this hospital has some very major issues with their patient care, security and keeping confidential information confidential. Stay as far away from this hospital as possible.

Not that it's any defence but, there is something of a nursing shortage. It's entirely possible that what happened was there was a new nurse that really didn't know what he/she was doing. I spend 24 hours/week as an E nurse (electronic monitoring from a remote location) and have seen things that really make my skin crawl.

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

I don't believe I'd ever set foot in that hospital again. There are several issues that would lead me to believe their standard of care falls short.

First, as mentioned you NEVER put an immunosurpressed patient in with a contagious patient. That's just begging for trouble for the patient as well as the hospital.

Second, what hospital would allow a stranger to go looking for a bed and checking if the other patient's condition (is that patient contagious). That sounds like a direct violation of patient confidentiality.

If all of this is true, and I wouldn't doubt that it is, this hospital has some very major issues with their patient care, security and keeping confidential information confidential. Stay as far away from this hospital as possible.

Not that it's any defence but, there is something of a nursing shortage. It's entirely possible that what happened was there was a new nurse that really didn't know what he/she was doing. I spend 24 hours/week as an E nurse (electronic monitoring from a remote location) and have seen things that really make my skin crawl.

Actually, the bed assignment isn't done by the floor nurses, however, they should have refused the transfer or held his admission until an appropriate room was found.
This experience is lacking some major parts, speaking as a former floor nurse. Nurses, do you see it ?

[Jestjoan Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jestjoan]

BIG grin

I prescribe rest, Beags.

[Jestjoan Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jestjoan]

Good article, Katiemack

Somewhere in this house, I have a book titled "Take this Book to the Hospital With You" (or something like that).

I got my HS reunion book and saw that one of my classmates has written a similar book. I'lll try to find it and post the title.

BTW, Miss KatieMack Mack Mack, do you dress in black, black, black and have silver buttons down your back, back, back? I think of that every time I see your screen name.........SORRY.

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

I prescribe rest, Beags.

Joan,
You lost me, but I'm frequently that way.
It's like a medical or lawyer show, I bristle when some of the large, supporting facts don't add up.
I'm no fun anymore.

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

Joan,
You lost me, but I'm frequently that way.
It's like a medical or lawyer show, I bristle when some of the large, supporting facts don't add up.
I'm no fun anymore.

Understood.

But as I was not the person directly involved in the story, I can only give you what was told to me, and I doubt the wife had the stamina to tell me all the details.

As for going from floor to floor, I believe all she was looking for was a single room, not a room to share....as of course she would never be asking other patients their conditions.

I did not witness the event, I only was told what happened.

I do think it was a "scheduling" problem that set it all in motion....they should not have admitted him unless they had the proper room....needless to say, that has not been an issue since. She and DH never head off to the hospital unless they are assured that the proper room and facility is approved and waiting. The episode in the OP refers to the second round of chemo...and they were still on the early part of the learning curve.

She didn't indicate that there was a new nursing staff involved, but she has indicated a great appreciation for the people who have taken care of her husband in the subsequent weeks.

She now cooks for most of the floor staff and brings them her homemade items often when her DH is in the hospital.

There are severe shortages in qualified staff all over the country....but I have no doubt, as with all things human being imperfect, mistakes do happen.

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

I am a patient advocate at a Medical Center in NJ. My job is to go to bat for any patient who is having trouble.I really try to put myself in their shoes and seek a solution for whatever the problem may be.

If you find yourself or family member hospitalized,in the ER having difficulties or problems relating to a hospital stay after you return home..ask for the patient advocate. They will act on your behalf. We are not volunteers, but employees of the hospital ,and the job requires training in all aspects of conflict resolution.

Susan

God bless Patient Advocates! When we lived in NY we had to rely on several during my parent's illnesses. This is one of the most important positions next to the nursing staff, IMHO. Thanks for posting this suskey!

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

Understood.

But as I was not the person directly involved in the story, I can only give you what was told to me, and I doubt the wife had the stamina to tell me all the details.

As for going from floor to floor, I believe all she was looking for was a single room, not a room to share....as of course she would never be asking other patients their conditions.

I did not witness the event, I only was told what happened.

I do think it was a "scheduling" problem that set it all in motion....they should not have admitted him unless they had the proper room....needless to say, that has not been an issue since. She and DH never head off to the hospital unless they are assured that the proper room and facility is approved and waiting. The episode in the OP refers to the second round of chemo...and they were still on the early part of the learning curve.

She didn't indicate that there was a new nursing staff involved, but she has indicated a great appreciation for the people who have taken care of her husband in the subsequent weeks.

She now cooks for most of the floor staff and brings them her homemade items often when her DH is in the hospital.

There are severe shortages in qualified staff all over the country....but I have no doubt, as with all things human being imperfect, mistakes do happen.

Katiemack,
That was not meant to ding you. I should clarify that your friend's version of the facts is somewhat sketchy, not you.

Here's what doesn't add up to me:

How was this guy admitted ? Through the E/R ?
A direct admit from his primary care clinician ?


The admitting M.D. or N.P., preferably, should order a private room, put him on reverse precautions (if he is very immunosuppressed) or a room with someone w/o active disease. This other pnemonia patient might have been non-infectious or ready to be discharge. Lots of possibilities there, not my first choice for a roomie, though. Maybe a nice diabetic or cardiac pt would've been better. Whoever he had as a roomie, his chances for a nosocomial (hospital acquired) infection is greatly increased just by being in hospital.

For her to have gone through the hospital looking for a new room - I hope she just talked to each floor's nursing staff or the unit secretary and not peered into rooms or spoken to inpatients- is concerning and touches on HIPPA and privacy violations.

Sometimes folks embellish events and nursing gets tarnished.

I hope you are well.

[Jestjoan Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jestjoan]

Beags,

Your Latin...........

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

Your Latin...........

Vah! Denuone latine loquebar? Me ineptum. Interdum modo elabitur.

Quiquid latine dictum sit altum viditur